TEEN DRUG, ALCOHOL, TOBACCO USE ABOVE AVERAGE HERE

Southwestern Indiana teens continue to use drugs, alcohol and tobacco
in greater numbers and earlier in school than their peers in Indiana
and the nation.

A recent survey of 6,000 students in Vanderburgh and Warrick county
public schools and Evansville Catholic schools does, however, show a
decline in tobacco use, which mirrors both state and national trends.

The results of the survey were released Tuesday at a news conference
held by Youth First.

Among the survey's highlights are:

* 12 percent of eighth-graders indulged in binge drinking at least
once last month. Nearly 20 percent of 10th-graders and 33 percent of
12th-graders have. Those figures all are a little higher than state
or local figures.

* 1.7 percent of eighth-graders drink daily, compared to 0.6 percent
of eighth-graders nationally. Four percent of 10th-graders (1.3
percent nationally) and nearly 7 percent of 12th-graders (2.8 percent
nationally) drink daily.

* 22 percent of eighth-graders, 37 percent of 10th-graders and about
52 percent of 12th-graders drink at least once a month. Again local
data is higher than national data.

* 2.4 percent of eighth-graders in Southwestern Indiana use marijuana
daily, compared to 0.6 percent nationally. For 10th-graders the
figure is 5.4 percent locally and 3.2 percent nationally. About 7
percent of seniors use marijuana daily in the Evansville area,
compared to 5.6 percent nationally.

The good news is in the tobacco area. Six years ago, 27.3 percent of
local 12th-graders smoked daily. Now that figure is down to 17.3 percent.

Tenth-grade use is down from 17.3 percent to 11.8 percent while
eighth-graders are down from 8.2 percent to 6.5 percent.

The reason for the drop in tobacco use is fairly easy to understand,
said Dr. William Wooten, a retired addictions specialist and board
chairman for Youth First.

"Look at the media exposure," he said. "It's not normal to smoke any
more. It used to be socially acceptable but it isn't now."

As cigarettes have disappeared from movies and television, he said,
smoking no longer is considered a sophisticated thing to do.

Youth First officials said that the media is going to focus on how
many youths do illegally use alcohol, marijuana and tobacco.

"But in reality," said Youth First president and CEO Parri Black,
"most kids don't do it. Everybody isn't doing it.

"The perception is out there though. Ask kids how many kids use
alcohol and they'll say 90 percent. But the actual numbers are lots smaller."

Wooten said he is often asked why Southwestern Indiana teens smoke,
use pot and abuse alcohol more than other places in the country.

Some experts say it's because Indiana was slower than other states to
adopt research based anti-drug programs, but Wooten thinks the answer
is more complex than that.

He believes factors such as accessibility of alcohol, tobacco and
marijuana, costs, parental and student attitudes toward the use and
perhaps genetics play a major role.

Youth First and the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corp. have jointly
received a $900,000 federal grant over three years to reduce alcohol
use among local teens.

Part of the grant will be used to place social workers in every
Evansville high school, Black said.

The grant will also launch research-based education programs that
make teens less accepting of alcohol use by their peers.